Newsletter

Decision on demolition of Echo House continued another month

PETER.WILLOTT@STAUGUSTINE.COM Ron Rawls, pastor of the St. Paul AME Church walks through the ECHO house property the church owns on Martin Luther King Avenue, near their church on Wednesday, June 10, 2014. The church is seeking permission to demolish the building and use the property as parking.

The Rev. Ron Rawls of St. Paul AME Church told the St. Augustine Historic Architectural Review Board on Thursday that he is willing to talk with anyone in order to solve a problem.

After more than two hours of talking at the regular meeting, the HARB members told Rawls that another month of talking is the best shot at resolving the issue of demolition of the Echo House.

In a 4-0 vote, HARB continued the demolition request of St. Paul for the second time.

Rawls and his congregation are asking for permission to tear down the historic building that the city transferred to them four years ago. Rawls and his supporters say they need to clear room for parking and that they can’t afford the $900,000 to $975,000 it is estimated to cost to renovate the structure.

However, HARB wants Rawls to try one last time to secure parking somewhere else before knocking down Echo House.

“I have a lot more questions than I have answers,” said board member Paul Weaver. “Maybe there’s a solution where we can save Echo House and solve your problem.

We want to do what we can to preserve it. We wouldn’t have any historic buildings left in this city if it was (only about) parking.”

Echo House is listed as a contributing building to the Lincolnville National Register Historic District.

Rawls, who politely controlled his frustration even when others at the meeting were more vocal, said he’s worked diligently to come up with an alternative solution but doesn’t have one.

He said the parking that was once shared with St. Benedict the Moor Church is no longer available to St. Paul because that church has expanded its own programs. Rawls said he’s also approached officials about Excelsior Museum, which is also on Martin Luther King Avenue, but has been denied there.

“I said I’m open to talking, but I can’t put my church in a vulnerable position,” Rawls said.

As a sign of good faith, Rawls presented the board with a compromise that would preserve about a third of the building while making way for a playground and a 25-space parking lot.

St. Paul needs the space for church services and for the St. Paul School of Excellence on the property.

The decision on the issue was already continued from last month’s meeting. Part of the delay came from an incomplete application for demolition. The application was missing proof of undue economic hardship and a condition assessment of Echo House.

Both were provided Thursday. Rawls said his church has an operating budget of $310,000 per year.

Local contractor John Valdes provided the condition report and the cost estimate to renovate the Echo House. His finding was that very little of the existing building could remain. He also anticipated the presence of lead paint and asbestos.

Several dozen members of the community came out to support St. Paul’s plan, citing the condition of Echo House, which has been mostly dormant for 40 years.

Rawls said the church spent $26,000 on the building’s preservation, but the leaders determined that it was simply not feasible to use it for the school.

City Manager John Regan addressed the board and said he was trying to get community leaders together in order to come up with a solution that would preserve the historic structure and address parking concerns for St. Paul and others in Lincolnville.

However, he had no firm offers to present to Rawls. There is also no definite financing source for the city to renovate the Echo House.

“I would argue this is a high-priority preservation project,” Regan said. “Long term stability is needed.

This is something we’ve been working on for the last three weeks. They (St. Paul) have been very patient.”

Patience is starting to wane, though.

“I think we’ve shown a great willingness to compromise,” Rawls said. “We’re not asking for any resources. All we’re asking is: ‘Can we modify our property so we can continue to thrive in the future?’”

■ In an earlier agenda item, local architect Les Thomas detailed the renovations planned for the Santa Maria Restaurant should it be sold to Pat Croce’s company.

Croce would turn the historic restaurant into a new eatery called the Half Shell Raw Bar.

Thomas described his intention of replacing the building’s windows, doors, siding and roof. The proposal was an update of the structure without any major changes to the character of it.

The large sign on the roof of the restaurant would not change in style but would feature the new name.

“We’re really changing very little,” Thomas said.

The inside of the restaurant would be “almost gutted” with a change in the location of the kitchen and a general refurbishing of the interior.

HARB was not tasked with considering the project’s plan to add a dock. That issue must be handled by the Planning and Zoning Board.

HARB approved all changes with one stipulation that the sign above the walkway to the restaurant be redesigned to meet HARB guidelines and fit with the character of the area.